Fall In Love Forever
by Elraralia
Summary: [COMPLETED] Miles and Jesse have both been hurt by love. Now maybe love will heal them. Please read and review!
1. I Miss You So Much

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any part of Tuck Everlasting, even though I really wouldn't mind that.  
  
FIRST NOTE: This is my first Tuck Everlasting fanfic so you have to be kind to me lol. It's about Jesse's life after Winnie. I mean, since he has forever, he definitely has to have some kind of story, right? And so I decided to think and imagine and write out a story for my enjoyment, and the enjoyment of others. Please, please, please review this!  
  
Jesse Tuck leaned back against his bed, and sighed. He closed his eyes, then opened them suddenly as the image of Winifred Foster came to his mind. She was always on his mind, haunting his thoughts. She had been his first love, even thought he had been much, much older than her (about 87 years older, actually) when they first met.  
  
And now it was the year 2003, and Jesse Tuck was sitting in his room in the house he shared with his parents. Miles lived miles away (and this was not just a pun), in France, which seemed like half the world away from New Zealand, where they were living now. Jesse had wanted to stay in America, but America had begun to disagree with his mother when it began to develop so rapidly, and after losing Winnie, he had no desire to leave his parents again. And so they lived in an old farmhouse in the South Island of New Zealand, away from the big city and too much attention.  
  
It had been so many years, and still Jesse could not forget Winnie. She was the best girl he had ever known, even better than Miles' wife Anna. Anna had left Miles when she learned that he would live forever, accusing him of having dealings with the Devil, but Jesse had been sure that Winnie would never do such a thing to him, and that she would never abandon him.  
  
But, in a way, she had.  
  
There were no words to describe the pain that he felt when he saw the tombstone under that tree. To have read those words, and realising that she had not done as she had promised, that she had even married another man, hurt more than he had ever thought possible. But at the same time, he felt a type of peace. Even though he had seemed to believe so strongly that they could have had everything together and have been happy forever, a little part of him had always known that what his parents said were right: that there was no life without death, and it wasn't a gift to be able to live forever. A little part of him had known and unconsciously admitted that Winnie wouldn't have been very happy living forever with him. She deserved a proper life, living each day to the fullest. He just wished that he could have spent that proper life with her.  
  
He gave another loud sigh and turned over to lie on his stomach. He buried his face in his pillow. "Oh Winnie, if only you know how much I miss you. If only I had returned earlier, then I could see you again", he thought to himself. But there was no answer. Of course not. There never was an answer. 


	2. Parents' Worries

TO JESS: Thanks for the review! This chapter is for you!  
  
"Jesse! Time for dinner!"  
  
The door opened with a creak and Jesse shuffled out. His mother looked at him with concern in her eyes, as usual. He looked just like any other teenager in his green sweater and baggy jeans, but he didn't really behave like his usual self anymore. He was now quieter, and didn't get so excited over things anymore. He seemed to have become more like. Miles. And Mae Tuck wasn't sure if she was comfortable with that. She didn't want both of her sons to be broken, upset, forever. As she looked into Jesse's eyes, and found it harder and harder to find the fire that once burned in them, she couldn't help wishing fervently that she could bear her sons' burdens for them, and let them live as they should.  
  
Tuck was already sitting at the table, having laid everything out. "Come, son, let us eat," he said steadily. Jesse gave him a small smile and sat down at his place. Tuck was worried about his son too, but he knew that there was nothing he could do, except to continue being the caring father that he already was. Jesse needed that. It had been a while since he had lost Winnie, but she had been his first true love, and the wound would take time to heal. For now, there was nothing that could be done for Jesse. Jesse had to do it for himself; he had to take the first healing step himself.  
  
The family ate in silence, each thinking their own thoughts. Jesse thought mostly about Winnie, and those wonderful, noisy, dinners that they had had when she was with them. Those dinners were filled with love and fun and he loved every moment. Now, dinner was so quiet, and there were only the three of them.  
  
Finally, Mae decided to break the silence. "So, Jesse, you're going to town tomorrow?" she asked.  
  
Jesse shrugged. "I suppose so. What do you need?"  
  
"I'll just write a list. Remember to get it from me tomorrow morning."  
  
Jesse nodded, and returned to his food. And so the conversation was over.  
  
The next day Jesse took the list from his mother and drove off to town. Mae bustled around the kitchen, finding things for herself to do. Tuck sat in the living room, carving something out of a block of wood.  
  
"Aren't you worried for Jesse?" Mae asked from the kitchen.  
  
"He does seem a little out of sorts, but he has since he lost Winnie. He's a big boy, Mae. He can take care of himself. Let's face it, he's more than a hundred years old!"  
  
"Well, a hundred or not, I still think of him as a child. He's our youngest boy. I really wish that we could have brought Winnie along with us, just for him."  
  
"Now, Mae, you know that that would have been impossible. There's no way we could have done that. It wouldn't be good for any of us, especially Winnie. We would have been taking away her chances for life. That wouldn't be fair to her."  
  
"I know. Right now, I can't even decide if I want Jesse to fall in love again or not."  
  
"We'll never know, Mae. We'll just have to let time decide." 


	3. Brothers

The Tuck household was in a flurry. Miles was coming home! He would be spending a month with them, before going back to France. Mae was extremely excited about her son's return, and Tuck suddenly became very interested in the airplane schedules. Even Jesse began to act more like his old self, bouncing around the house and thinking up pranks to play on Miles. It was as if he had forgotten Winnie, just for a little while as they all planned for Miles' return.  
  
Jesse drove to town to meet Miles. He was in very high spirits, as he had not seen Miles for a long time. They used to be really close, quarrelling at times as brothers do, but those arguments never changed the fact that they were a team. Then Miles decided to work in France, and Jesse decided to live with his parents in New Zealand, and from then they parted ways, hearing from each other occasionally through the Internet (which Mae thought was dangerous and unheard of, and Tuck thought incredibly fascinating), letters and the rare phone call.  
  
Miles was waiting for him at the post office as he pulled up. Miles gave his younger brother a grin, and got into the passenger seat, knowing better than to demand to drive. Jesse nodded and started the engine again. As they drove away, he noticed a young lady with long, dark brown hair standing outside the post office with her suitcase, looking after them, but he thought nothing of her.  
  
"So, how's France?" Jesse asked, glancing at his brother.  
  
"Trés bien, merci," Miles replied.  
  
"Hah! So you think you're a real Frenchman, now do you? Let me ask you something: would it be asking too much of you to request that you speak English from now on until you return to France?"  
  
"Of course, Kiwi."  
  
"All right, then, Frenchie."  
  
This went on, all the way home. Even as they got out of the car and Jesse was helping Miles with his luggage, they were still calling each other "Kiwi" and "Frenchie". Mae smiled to see her boys, with their cheeky banter, just as brothers should act around each other.  
  
"It's good to see Jesse like himself again, isn't it?" she whispered to Tuck as they laid the table.  
  
"Yes it is." 


	4. Ana

"Hi, does Miles live here?"  
  
Jesse gaped at the girl standing on the front porch. She had long, dark hair, and he recalled seeing her outside the post office when he went to pick Miles up.  
  
"Erm. well I'm sorry if I'm intruding." she began.  
  
"WHHHHAAAA." Jesse spun around to see Miles with his jaw practically on the ground.  
  
"Hi! I found you!" The girl gave Miles a big grin and a little wave. Miles said nothing, but just stared at her. Jesse looked between the two of them, his usually calm brother, and this strange girl who had just seemed to pop out of nowhere.  
  
He finally decided to say something. "Excuse me if I'm spoiling a special moment. but. but what the hell is going on?" Miles looked at him, as if he hadn't noticed him there. "Well, my brother obviously isn't going to volunteer any information," Jesse thought, and so he turned to the girl. "Who are you?"  
  
She switched her bright grin to him and stuck out her hand. "Hi, I'm Anaïs. But no one bothers to call me that. They just call me Ana. Lots easier." She jerked her head towards Miles. "Except him, though. He's strange."  
  
Jesse laughed despite himself. "Yes, yes I know."  
  
"Boys? What's going on? Who's there?" Mae came to the hallway, and stopped, standing right beside Miles, who was still in a state of shock. Mae was startled at first to see Ana standing at the door, but got over her shock soon enough. "Oh, hello. How may I help you?"  
  
"Hello. I suppose you are Mrs. Tuck? I'm a friend of Miles'. I was in the country and thought I would drop by. I'm sorry if I'm disturbing anyone. I could leave."  
  
"No, of course not! Any friend of my sons is always welcome in our household. Jesse, why are you just standing there? Let her in!"  
  
Jesse jumped and stood aside to let Ana in. He took her suitcase from her. "Welcome to our humble abode," he said as she walked by. She flashed him another of her mischievous grins and winked, punching Miles' arm as she went by.  
  
Miles shook his head. "How on earth did she find me here?"  
  
"I have no idea, but you must be more popular in France than you let on," Jesse teased as he too squeezed past Miles, dragging Ana's suitcase along. Miles groaned, and followed as if resigned to some horrible fate. 


	5. Miles Is Weird!

Mae fixed Ana a small meal, as the Tucks had already eaten, and Ana sat in the kitchen, while the rest of the family sat in the living room.  
  
"Now, who is she, Miles?" Tuck asked.  
  
Miles shifted uncomfortably. "She's my housemate, and she works with me as well, at the magazine. I take the photos, she writes the articles."  
  
"So you must be spending a lot of time with her," Mae remarked.  
  
Miles blushed. "Well, yeah. but that doesn't mean anything. We're just friends. Sometimes we aren't even friends. Especially now. I bet she followed me. I could really kill her!"  
  
Jesse said nothing as Miles and his parents talked over Ana's arrival. He sat in his little corner, thinking back on the last time something like that had happened. Well, it wasn't exactly the same. For one, Winnie had not been following anyone. Suddenly, he didn't want to hear this conversation anymore. It felt too much like the family discussing how to handle Winnie. He stood up and crept out of the room, unnoticed.  
  
He went to the kitchen, where Ana was eating and poring over the newspaper. He helped himself to a pack of potato chips, and plopped himself opposite her, studying her. She looked up at him, not in the least bit shocked or startled, and gave him a quick smile. "Hi." Then she was back to her reading.  
  
"Miles thinks you followed him," Jesse told her, crunching on his chips. He felt like talking to this girl, and he hoped that she would want to talk to him too, instead of reading the boring newspapers.  
  
To his satisfaction, Ana put aside the newspaper and looked at him. Her eyes shone brightly as she laughed. "Miles thinks he's the smartest guy on this earth, when he's in fact the biggest dork. I didn't follow him at all. He left your address on our kitchen table. Probably to remind himself where he was going. Strange fellow. First he doesn't want me to come to New Zealand. Then he leaves the address where everyone can see it."  
  
Jesse laughed. "Yes, that sounds like something Miles would do sometimes. He thinks he's very careful, but he overlooks the biggest clues. I remember one time." He stopped. He had been about to tell her about their old escapades, trying to lose that strange man in the yellow suit. He couldn't tell her THAT, of course. Firstly, it would totally freak her out. Secondly, it was a great secret in the family. Thirdly. it reminded him too much of Winnie. It was something sacred to him, and he wasn't very comfortable sharing it with someone he had met just ten minutes ago.  
  
Ana gave him a look, then shrugged before going on. "At last I've found someone who thinks Miles is a real weirdo."  
  
"Same here. My parents think that he's such a proper, sensible boy. Anyway. tell me what he's like in France. It must be either very boring or very funny."  
  
"It's both. Sometimes he seems to be in this kind of trance or something, and he leaves stuff all around and forgets where he left them. Other times he seems to be thinking of something, and doesn't hear you when you talk to him. Those are the times when it gets funny. When he is all flustered, desperately searching for his things, or desperately trying to figure out what people are talking about now, and what he just missed. The boring part is when he gets really serious about his work, and spends hours taking photos and developing them, making sure they are just right. It's really boring to see him examining all his photos."  
  
"I can imagine. Just hearing about it makes me want to fall asleep. What else? I haven't seen Miles in such a long time, and even though he talks a lot about France, I know that there are plenty of things he wouldn't tell me. He might be weird, but he knows when not to give me ammunition against him. Oh, let me get that." Jesse took Ana's empty bowl from her and went to the sink.  
  
Ana laughed. "Wow, you must be really curious about your brother's French life. Well. he's very popular. With the ladies, of course."  
  
"I knew it!" Jesse said triumphantly. "How many girlfriends has he had?"  
  
"None. That's the strange part. He doesn't like any of those girls. They're totally crazy for him, but he couldn't care less about any of them. Unless they had his photos in their possession, of course. I wonder why he doesn't like any of them, some of them are actually rather pretty."  
  
"Oh." Jesse knew why, but it was something else that he did not want to tell Ana. That was Miles' private business, and he would let Miles do the telling. 


	6. OW!

FADING-X-ROSE: Thanks for reading my fanfic! Come back soon! I'll be back to read yours! JAE: Well, you told me to hurry! Was writing another chapter but when I saw your review I decided to be really obedient and write a new chapter (heck about that other one I was halfway through, it wasn't very good and I prefer this one).  
  
"Wake up! Rise and shine! Woohoo!"  
  
Ana groaned and rolled over, burying her head in the blankets. "It's too early, go away!" she moaned from under the covers.  
  
"Can't hear you! Get up! Up up up!" The annoying person refused to leave. Instead, he seemed to be getting nearer, and his tone was increasingly cheerful and enthusiastic. He bent over her and shook her. Ana gave another moan and did the first thing that came to her foggy, half-awake mind: she swung her arm and hit that annoying, living alarm clock with all the force in her.  
  
"OWWWWW! Gosh, is that how you treat your host?"  
  
Host? Ana gasped, suddenly remembering that she wasn't in France. She sat bolt upright, suddenly very awake, and turned to see Jesse holding his nose, and looking like he was going to cry. "OH MY GOD! I am so sorry. My goodness. I totally forgot that I'm not at home in France! Are you all right?"  
  
Jesse shook his head. "Is that what you do to Miles when he wakes you up? You're horrible, you know that? I even put on my happiest voice to start out your day good."  
  
"Well, Miles doesn't wake me up. He just leaves me in bed and lets me get in trouble. I'm so sorry again. Did it hurt?" Ana went over to him to see if she had broken his nose. She was pretty strong.  
  
He waved her away, obviously unhurt. "SHE never did such a thing," he muttered, thinking that Ana couldn't hear him.  
  
"Who's 'she'?" she asked curiously. The way the family treated her showed that they hadn't had guests for a long time. Did Jesse have some interesting past? The journalist in her wanted to know more.  
  
"Nobody," Jesse said roughly. "Come on, Mae made you breakfast." He left the room without looking back, leaving Ana puzzled. What made him so unfriendly, even angry, so suddenly? She shrugged and went to brush her teeth and wash her face, getting ready for breakfast with the Tuck family.  
  
Breakfast with the Tucks was a merry occasion, like all their other meals. Mae had made waffles, with butter and maple syrup and strawberries, blueberries and even ice cream for the daring. They seemed to have no heed about diets, and when Ana remarked on it, Miles just laughed. "Why bother so much? We get enough exercise. You've only got one life, what's the use in spending it counting calories and vitamin pills?"  
  
To that, Ana had no argument, and gorged herself at that breakfast with no guilt, which pleased Mae very much. Jesse didn't talk to Ana much during breakfast, but was cheerful and happy with everyone else. Ana observed that his behaviour also pleased Mae and Tuck greatly, something she didn't expect. 


	7. Age

NOTE: Taking this opportunity to talk about Queenstown and Christchurch. I'm a little obsessive when it comes to New Zealand, I don't know why. Hahaha.  
  
"I'm really sorry, Anaïs, if you find this place dull. I'm afraid that we're rather far from Christchurch and a lot of the action, so life here might be a little. boring for you. Especially since this is your first visit to New Zealand," Mae said apologetically.  
  
"That's all right, Mae. I've experienced a lot of the big city in Paris. Sometimes too much, I think. It's very refreshing to be able to stay in the country, and have some peace and quiet for once. I haven't seen such peace since the last time when I went to Ireland with my parents, back when they were still alive. And please, call me Ana."  
  
"Well, if Ana ever wants to go to the town, Jesse or Miles could always take her. I'm sure they wouldn't mind, would you boys?" Tuck turned to look at his sons. Miles said nothing, trying to look everywhere else but at Ana. It was pretty obvious that he had no desire to go to any big city anytime. Jesse gave Ana a look, and nodded.  
  
"I'd be glad to. Haven't been to either Queenstown or Christchurch for awhile."  
  
Ana flashed him a grateful smile, and he returned it. "Thanks, Jesse. But for now, I'm content just to stay here in the country, and appreciate life as it comes: naturally."  
  
"Good choice," Mae told her. "Life is always the best experienced as it is given to us, not how we mould it. But don't you hesitate to tell us if you want to go to town. I suppose a young woman like you would like to do some shopping before returning to Paris."  
  
"That goes without saying, Mae. And don't worry, I won't hesitate to ask. I'll get Miles or Jesse to bring me even if it means threatening them."  
  
The Tucks laughed at this remark (Miles grudgingly), and Ana joined them. "What a lovely family," she thought to herself. Then she sighed. "If only my family was like them. If only I wasn't alone."  
  
Jesse and Ana sat outside the house, staring at the vast field before them, and the mountains in the distance. "I love this about New Zealand. It seems like no matter where you are, there are always mountains," Ana remarked.  
  
"Yeah, I know. That's what made me fall in love with this place when we first got here. This is our fifth year here now. I love all the mountains. It makes this place seem. safe, somehow. Like this whole place is just a big fortress, and nothing can invade this place," Jesse agreed.  
  
Ana looked at Jesse, not expecting such a deep analysis of the country from someone who seemed so carefree, but Jesse wasn't look at her. He was staring at the mountains. "Jesse. I'm really sorry about punching you this morning. And I'm sorry if I was prying when I asked you about 'she'," Ana said to him. Jesse glanced at her. "It's all right, it wasn't your fault. I'm sorry I got angry. That was really unreasonable about it. I guess it's just a sensitive topic. I shouldn't have mentioned it in front of you since I didn't want you to ask. I'll tell you one day, all right? I promise. When the time is right, I'll tell you. You deserve that."  
  
"All right. You tell me when you want to. I won't ask you about it anymore."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
They sat in silence for awhile, but did not feel in the least bit uncomfortable. Ana was reminded of what L. M. Montgomery always said in her books: if you could sit with someone in silence and not feel awkward, you two would be good friends, but if you couldn't, there would be no point in trying to be friends. It was something that she believed in greatly, having had more than her share of experiences with friends. It was why she didn't mind staying with Miles in the same apartment, even though they drove each other insane sometimes. There were times after they finished an article together, they would just sit on the couch in silence, and the silence wasn't disturbing at all, but seemed something very ordinary. Ana was glad that she felt this way with Jesse. The feeling wasn't exactly the same, though. There was something more, with Jesse. This warmth, that made her wish they could sit in silence like that forever. Maybe they could.  
  
"So, tell me more about yourself," Jesse said suddenly, his curiosity returning to him. "You work with Miles, but look like you're eighteen, at the most. How old are you?"  
  
Ana pretended to be shocked. "Jesse Tuck! How could you ask a woman such a question? Don't you know that a woman's age is a great secret?"  
  
"I don't think you're a woman, I think you're a girl," Jesse replied cheekily.  
  
Ana punched him playfully. "Awful, you are. I'm whatever age I want to be. Let's leave it at that. Now, let's turn to you. You think me a girl, but you're not some old man yourself. How old are YOU?"  
  
"Whatever age you want me to be," Jesse told her easily. "And let's leave it at that." 


	8. To Feel Like You Belong

"Ah! I'm late late late!"  
  
"Where are you going?" Ana asked as Jesse rushed past her, pulling on his jacket.  
  
"To work, where else?"  
  
"You work? I thought you just stayed home and lived off your brother or something," Ana teased.  
  
Jesse shot her a dirty look. "I was given a day's leave, and then it was the weekend, if you didn't notice. I don't work weekends. So now I'm back to work. I've got to go, I'm going to be late!"  
  
"Breakfast, Jesse! Breakfast!" Mae called after her youngest son. There was crashing sound from the hall, and then Jesse scrambled back to take a sandwich from his mother. He was gone before anyone could say anything else.  
  
"Jesse's become more dependant on the alarm clock than the last time I saw him," Miles said, coming in, holding the offending clock. "This thing's stopped."  
  
"What does he work as, anyway?" Ana asked.  
  
"He works at a bookstore. It doesn't pay much but he quite likes it. He's become more interested in reading, something that no one will can complain about."  
  
"That's a good job. I used to love bookstores, I couldn't walk past one without going in and buying something." Ana smiled, thinking back on the good times where she could just sit for hours on end reading and reading. That was when life was still simple and peaceful, and there was nothing much to worry and bother about. When her parents were around to take care of her and take care of all the problems. Now everything was different.  
  
"No wonder you write," Tuck told her as he helped himself to some cornflakes. "I should like to read some of your work sometime. Do you write in English or French?"  
  
"Usually I write in French. For work, you see. But I do write in English for some of my private work."  
  
Miles grinned. "Anaïs is writing a book. She wants to be an author."  
  
Ana blushed despite herself. "You don't have to tell everyone about it, you know. If I knew this was what you would do, I'd never have let you know about it."  
  
"Why are you embarrassed?" Tuck asked. "It's a perfectly good dream. I'm sure you will write a wonderful book, something that everyone would love to read. Are you already working on your book?"  
  
"I've had some ideas but I've never been able to go through with any of them. There was always something lacking about them, somehow. Something wrong with them, and whatever I wrote didn't seem. real enough. I'm sorry if I'm confusing you."  
  
"Not at all, we understand your meaning perfectly. Have a glass of warm milk." Mae set the glass in front of Ana. "Perhaps you could find some inspiration here in New Zealand, when you're staying with us. It would be wonderful if we played some part in helping you write your bestseller."  
  
Ana smiled and nodded. It felt so good, to have people having faith in her again. To have people believing in her, people she trusted in and people she loved already. It was wonderful to feel like she belonged somewhere again. To feel like she wasn't alone in this world anymore. She knew that this feeling would disappear as soon as she had to return to France, but it didn't matter, because now she was in New Zealand, and that was good enough for her, just then. 


	9. Beautiful

Jesse was in high spirits when he returned from work, the rush and panic all over. "Let's go running!" he said, bounding into Ana's room, where she was curled up in bed reading.  
  
Ana groaned. "Running? Jesse, it's five o' clock, if you haven't noticed. It's dark. It's winter, for goodness sake!"  
  
Jesse pretended to be offended. "So, you'd rather stay in bed with a book and not emerge from this room until dinnertime? Boy, you're going to get fatter than you already are. And then you won't ever be able to get a boyfriend, and you'll never get married and have kids."  
  
"I'M NOT FAT!"  
  
Jesse chuckled at the sight of Ana's red face, her book snapped shut. "You're going to be if you don't go running with me. Come on, it'll be fun. We could have a picnic or something. Mae has a nice basket; we could put the food in there and eat whenever and wherever we want. We won't get lost or anything, I promise."  
  
Ana sighed, looking at her book. It was a good book, but Jesse's proposition sounded good too. She had never done something like that before. Besides, she could read anytime, but how often did you find yourself in New Zealand, with some nice guy volunteering to go running with you? It could be quite an adventure. Who knows? It could even be a lot of fun. "All right."  
  
"WOOHOO!" Jesse left the room triumphant, leaving Ana to get ready. Mae, from her place in the kitchen, smiled to hear that joyous whoop. It had only been four days, and there was already such a remarkable change in Jesse. No longer moping for Winnie as he had done for all those years. Finally, he was young again, happy again.  
  
Mae gladly packed Jesse and Ana a picnic dinner. They asked Miles along too, but he refused in his usual gruff manner. "I'd rather be in my room. I have some letters to write," he told them.  
  
"Liar!" was Jesse's reply.  
  
"Yeah! We'll just let YOU be fat and then you won't have any girlfriends and you'd never get married and have children," Ana added as they left the house.  
  
Jesse knew better than to say more, and they left without seeing the hurt in Miles' eyes, that stinging reminder of his past, coming from someone so ignorant about the sadness and pain that he had gone through.  
  
Jesse led the way, and they ran as fast as they could without spilling everything in the picnic basket. Perhaps Jesse went running like that very often, but to Ana it was magical. It seemed like she was running towards the mountains, every step bringing her closer, and that in a few moments she would be at the summit. It felt like nothing was impossible, that she could fly if she wanted to. And that freedom was something she had not felt for a very long time. A very long time indeed.  
  
They stopped a distance from the house, panting but satisfied. Jesse gave her a grin. "See, told you that it would be good!" Ana smiled back, having no breath for words, and nodded.  
  
They spread out that blanket that Mae had given them, and sat down on it, peering into the basket to see what food they had to eat. Mae had definitely overestimated their appetites, for there was enough food to feed an army. Yet there were no complaints from both as they helped themselves to the food, a battery-operated lamp between them, as it was really dark now.  
  
Ana looked around her. Away in the distance the lights from the house were on, and she knew that the rest of the Tuck family were having their own dinner. It was cold, but she felt warm from the running. She couldn't see the mountains anymore, but she knew they were there. They would be there, no matter what. She smiled to herself as she ate.  
  
"What are you thinking about?" Jesse asked, looking over at her. His face was illuminated by the feeble light of the lamp, and Ana stared at it, taking it all in. He looked almost nothing like Miles. He wasn't as rugged, and looked much younger, much more innocent. Somehow Jesse looked as if he had been through a lot, but was still a little boy. She felt lost in his eyes. There was so much in them, so many mysteries and secrets that she was dying to discover.  
  
"Ana? What are you thinking about?" Jesse repeated.  
  
Ana shook herself, and turned her attention to Jesse's question. She laughed and looked into the darkness, not very sure what she was staring at, but staring anyway. "Nothing much. I was just thinking that I should be terrified, in the middle of a field in the darkness, with just a pathetic little lamp, stranded in the darkness with a guy I've only known for four days. But I'm not afraid at all. In fact, everything feels so right, so beautiful. And I feel so free, like I could do anything I want to do, and get away with it. Like everything's okay. And I haven't felt this way in such a long time." Something blurred her vision, and she was surprised to find that she was crying. She sniffed, trying to wipe away her tears. "I'm sorry, you must think I'm so stupid."  
  
Jesse remained silent, then shifted closer to her. Gently, he pulled her hands away from her face, revealing her tear-stained face. Ana sat in stunned silence as his face came closer to hers. "You are beautiful," Jesse whispered.  
  
And everything was lost, for she was drowning in a kiss. 


	10. Mistake

The moment disappeared as suddenly as it began. Jesse pulled away, leaving Ana staring in shock. "I'm so sorry, I'm sorry." Jesse was saying, but Ana barely heard him.  
  
"What's wrong, Jesse?" she asked, touching his arm. He recoiled as if she had some contagious disease, not even looking at her.  
  
He shook his head, still not meeting her eye. "I'm sorry." He got up, and began packing. "It's really dark now, and it's beginning to get real cold. Maybe we should get back to the house."  
  
Ana sighed, knowing that she would never get a direct out of Jesse about this. "Yes, we should be getting back now," she agreed, and helped in packing up. Then they walked back in silence, Jesse holding the basket and Ana holding the lamp.  
  
Jesse lay staring at the darkness in front of him, all alone in his room. Thoughts crowded his mind. What had made him do what he did? What madness had drove him to give Ana that kiss? That kiss wasn't meant for her, was it? No, it couldn't be for her. It was just that at that moment, when he looked at her, so soft and vulnerable, it just reminded him so much of Winnie. He had been in love with Winnie, and he still was in love with Winnie, as he always would be.  
  
The day he saw her tombstone, he had sworn to himself that he would never forget her, that he would love her for always. He would never forget her like she did him. He would never betray her memory like she did to him. He would love her forever and ever, and he would never break that vow.  
  
So that kiss couldn't have been meant for Ana, could it?  
  
Ana buried herself under the blankets. She was tired, but no sleep would come to her. All she could think about was Jesse, and his strange behaviour. That kiss. it had been so beautiful, and there was something special in it, something wonderful. It felt as if she and Jesse had something incredible going, and then suddenly that moment was gone.  
  
Why would Jesse want to apologise to her? Was he even apologising to her? At times she had thought that it didn't seem like he was talking to her at all. As if he was speaking to someone invisible, someone living in his head. Why would he feel the need to apologise? It made no sense to her. And she so desperately wanted things to make sense.  
  
For so long she had felt lost in this world, having to go with the flow all the time, with no one noticing the struggle she felt. After her parents died, she had been so lonely, stranded in a world where no one cared. She had been waiting and searching for the love that she craved, but it had never come to her. And she had thought, during that kiss, that perhaps she didn't need to wait any longer.  
  
A sob burst out of her. She couldn't stay with the Tucks any longer. She knew that now. It would be too uncomfortable, and she would never be able to look at Jesse again, knowing what had happened between them. She would have to leave, and soon this wonderful house in New Zealand would be nothing but a memory, a memory that would prick her heart the moment she began working with Miles again.  
  
"What a mistake I made, coming to New Zealand," she whispered to herself. 


	11. I Have To Leave

Jesse was already eating when Ana entered the kitchen the next morning. He greeted her politely, as if they were just mere acquaintances. "And we should be," Ana thought to herself. After all, they had only just known each other for less than a week.  
  
Mae greeted her with a smile, and offered her some pancakes, which Ana accepted gratefully. She thought as she ate, wondering how she would tell the family that she had decided to leave. She didn't want to break it to them suddenly, as if she really wanted to get away from this place. She didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. She didn't want Jesse to think that she was leaving because of him. And above all, she didn't want to leave.  
  
She ate slowly, saying nothing the whole time. Finally, she took a deep breath and said, "I think I will be leaving soon."  
  
Mae looked up from her pancakes in surprise. "Why, child? Are you not happy here?"  
  
"No, no it's not that," Ana replied. "No, I'm very happy here. In fact, I've thoroughly enjoyed myself, and I'm very grateful for all that you've done for me, even though I've more or less intruded by just turning up without warning. I just thought. well. maybe I'd go to the North Island and look around. Make full use of my holidays."  
  
Tuck nodded. "That's a good idea, Ana. There are beautiful things to be seen in the North Island as well. After all, it's not often you get such a long holiday, so perhaps it would be good for you to see as much as you can while you're free."  
  
"Exactly," Ana agreed, relieved that Tuck had helped with her excuse. Mae smiled, having to agree that her explanation made sense. Then she was asking about when Ana would leave, and her plans and if she would need any help with anything.  
  
"No, it's all right. I've been thinking about making it up as I went along. That would be quite like an adventure," Ana said, and once again Mae agreed.  
  
"Erm. I could send you to the airport," Miles volunteered, taking his plate to the sink. This eased all Mae's worries, and she insisted even though Ana tried to protest. Finally, Ana just had to accept Miles' offer. She slumped in her chair, her plans almost destroyed. She had not planned to go to the North Island at all, but had thought to return to France. She listened half- heartedly, nodding and agreeing at the right places, as Mae chattered on about what she could do at North Island, and that she would have a great time.  
  
Through this whole episode, Jesse said nothing.  
  
***  
  
Ana returned to her room to pack after breakfast, and to call and try to get tickets to France. She thought she would just get Miles to drop her outside the airport, and she would walk in by herself. Then she would return to France, and spend her holidays as she initially planned: alone.  
  
Tears fell against her will as she packed. She felt so safe, so secure, so loved, here with the Tucks. And now she would have to return to France and everything would be just like before. She had not found love after all, and she would never write her book. Everything was back to square one: she was alone.  
  
***  
  
For once, Jesse did not turn on the radio when he was driving to work. He would never admit it, but he was actually trembling. Ana's announcement had come as a total shock to him. He knew that things would never be the same between them, and things would be awkward for both, but the thought that Ana would leave had never crossed his mind.  
  
And now he was confused, so confused. Logically, Ana's decision to leave should be good news. She would no longer be around to mess around with his brain, and there would be no more accident kisses. He would be left alone, still in love with Winnie. So Ana's decision should have been great news to him. But if that was the case, why did he want to cry? Why had he felt like bursting during breakfast? Why had he wanted to fall to his knees to beg Ana to stay, to kiss her again?  
  
He slammed his hand against the steering wheel in frustration. Why did he have to be confused? It should be crystal clear to him, that he loved Winnie more than anything. Ana shouldn't be distracting him or upsetting him at all. She should be nothing to him, nothing at all. Just a friend, that's all. Nothing more.  
  
But try as he might, he could not get rid of the urge to turn back home and try to get Ana to stay by him forever. This feeling haunted him for the rest of the day. 


	12. Love?

Jesse came home from work in a worse mood than he had been when he left home. There had been a very difficult customer who just couldn't be satisfied. "How is it my fault that the quality of the paper isn't good enough?" he raged when Miles entered his room, knowing that his little brother wasn't in the greatest of spirits.  
  
"It isn't your fault at all," Miles said patiently. His brother would just go on and on and talk all his frustration out eventually. All he had to do was listen and be patient. This was how they handled each other, how they balanced each other out.  
  
"The way she looked at me, it was like I owed her something, like everything that was going wrong in this world was all my fault! I can't believe it! Some people just have no respect for others." Jesse went on and on, and Miles just began to tune out a little, nodding and throwing in some sympathetic remarks here and there. There was a reason why Miles came to talk to Jesse, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to address the issue until Jesse was done.  
  
After awhile Jesse finally ran out of things to rant about. "So. you didn't come in here to listen to my ranting. What did you want to talk about?"  
  
Miles hesitated. He knew that mentioning the topic would just plunge Jesse headfirst back into his bad mood. He thought for a moment about how to go about this delicate issue, and then decided to just go for it. "That customer isn't the only reason for your bad mood, is it? You don't want Anaïs to leave."  
  
Jesse sat up bolt upright on his bed, and Miles knew that he had struck a nerve. He spoke before Jesse had any chance to open his mouth. "I don't think you realise how well I know you, little brother. Just because I don't say anything doesn't mean I haven't noticed. I see how you look at her."  
  
Jesse shook his head. "No. Anaïs is just a friend to me. Like a sister. Miles, I'm still in love with Winnie."  
  
Miles laughed. "Don't be stupid, Jesse. You know you're lying."  
  
"No! I am NOT lying! Miles, you're not listening to me at all! I don't love Ana! I tell you, I love Winnie and I'm not in love with ANYONE ELSE!" Jesse shouted, jumping up.  
  
Miles gave his agitated brother a small smile as he stood up and walked to the door. "Jesse, you don't have to forget Winnie to love Anaïs. You can't cling on to Winnie forever, you know." Miles had his hand on the doorknob, but he suddenly walked back and stood right in front of his brother. "I know I used to warn you against falling in love. I know I told you that it would hurt. I know you've been hurt before, and that you understand my warning now. But let me tell you something new: love isn't a choice. Love is something good that just happens to you. Something GOOD. And sometimes you have to fight for it even though it hurts."  
  
Jesse slumped and sat down on his bed again. He knew what Miles was saying was right. He DID love Ana. The ongoing battle inside him was over. He had lost to his heart, and he knew now that his heart belonged to Ana. One part of him would always belong to Winnie, of course. She was his first love, and you never really get over your first love. He would remember her always, and love her, in a way. But now Ana was everything. And suddenly he understood everything. He understood Winnie. She hadn't betrayed him, not at all. She had loved him, and loved him till the day she drew her last breath. But she had loved someone else too. It wasn't betrayal, it wasn't anyone's fault. It was just something that happened.  
  
And then he was crying, his head buried in his hands. Crying, like he had not done in a very long time. Losing Winnie had hurt him like never before, but he had never cried. Now he did, cried out all the confusion and pain he had gone through these past years. He felt Miles sitting down next to him, putting his arm around him, but he did not look up. He couldn't.  
  
Ana sat on her bed, tears streaming down her face. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. She had remembered that she had left her book on the table outside in the living room, and had gone to get it, when she overheard Jesse's shout coming from his room. Obviously he hadn't expected anyone to hear him. But she had hear him, loud and clear.  
  
"I don't love Ana!"  
  
She heard it in her head, so clearly that she thought Jesse had just yelled it again. It echoed in her mind, over and over again, and she couldn't get it out.  
  
She wasn't sure what she had been expecting actually. Did she, even for the slightest moment, think that Jesse loved her? She didn't know. What did she want from Jesse? Did she really want him to suddenly come into her room and admit that he had loved her all along, that he had loved her since he set eyes on her, and that he wanted her to stay? And if that really happened, would she stay? She didn't know. Did she even love Jesse, or was she crying because she was just embarrassed and ashamed of herself?  
  
Why did she cry?  
  
NOTE: Hope you all didn't find this too soppy or anything, I was just trying to make it sad! Obviously I don't expect anyone to cry from reading this (it's not good enough to make people cry, certainly didn't make ME cry), but I just hope it's not TOO sad till the point of being lame! Please leave a review and let me know! 


	13. A Brother's Concern

Miles and Ana sat in the car in silence, in the parking lot at the airport. Ana sighed, looking around her. How she had come to love New Zealand! It was a beautiful place, even though she hadn't seen all that much of it. But what really made her love this place was the feeling that she belonged somewhere, and she knew that it had all come from the Tucks. Tuck and Mae had, for those few days, been like her parents, and she felt like she was home again, young again, in those lovely, safe days she had lived long years past. She really didn't want to leave. But she had to. She told herself that again and again. She had to.  
  
"I don't love Ana!"  
  
Still that sentence haunted her thoughts. Again and again it came to her, reverberating in her mind. She was numb to it now. She felt numb to almost everything. She didn't care what happened. She wished that she would wake up from this nightmare and discover that she had died in the night. But that was impossible. And that was why she had to leave.  
  
Yet she sat in the car, not moving.  
  
Finally Miles spoke. "You don't have to leave if you don't want to, you know."  
  
Ana forced herself to laugh. "And stay in the countryside for the whole of my hard-earned holidays? You must be insane. I mean, it's been great and all, but hey, I'm a modern girl, and modern girls need action after awhile."  
  
"And you think you will have a lot of fun and excitement back in Paris."  
  
Ana froze. How did he know that she was going back to Paris? She hadn't told anyone! She stared at Miles, who gave her a little smile. "I'm not deaf you know. You left your door slightly open when you were getting your plane tickets, and I walked past. Don't worry, I didn't tell anyone about it." He looked at her seriously. "I mean it, though. You don't have to leave if you don't want to."  
  
Ana laughed again. "But I DO want to leave." She looked out of the window, tears beginning to sting her eyes. She would not cry in front of Miles. She would not cry in front of anyone. She cleared her throat. "Well, then. I better get going, or I'm going to miss my flight." She flung open the car door, perhaps a little too violently. She hopped out of the car. "Enjoy the rest of your holidays. I'll see you back in France a few weeks later, yeah? Bye then." She walked off before Miles could say anything, and would not allow herself to turn back.  
  
***  
  
Miles watched as Anaïs walked away, and sighed. She was a strong girl, but not as strong as she thought herself to be. He could see what she felt towards to Jesse, but she couldn't see it herself. And Jesse was an idiot as well. He had expected Jesse to try to stop Anaïs from leaving this morning, but Jesse had done absolutely nothing. "Youngsters are blind sometimes," he muttered to himself as he started up the car.  
  
He thought about Jesse and Anaïs (and even Winnie) on the drive back. It was a long drive, a very long drive, and so he had plenty of time to think.  
  
Jesse and Winnie's relationship had made a major impact on everyone's lives, and until now Miles couldn't decide if it was for good or for worse. But he understood that it had been sacred to both Jesse and Winnie. After all, it was the first time the both of them had fallen in love. First loves were important; they stayed with you for life. And those two's had been doomed from the start. There was just no way around it, and that was what Miles thought even now when he thought back about it. There was no way that Winnie could have stayed with Jesse. Jesse had wanted her to drink from the spring and wait for him, but Miles had known from the beginning that Winnie would not drink that water, would not wait for Jesse to return. He just had no heart to tell Jesse that, and Jesse would not have listened. It was something that Jesse had to find out for himself.  
  
But Jesse and Anaïs. was it much different from Jesse and Winnie? After all, Anaïs wasn't an immortal, so Jesse would have to go through the pain of Anaïs' death. But circumstances were much better now. No one knew about the Tucks' secret now, no one would want to sell the water from the spring. Besides, the spring was gone now. That was the greatest threat, removed. So perhaps Jesse and Anaïs could have something special. It would be good for Jesse. He had been hurting for such a long time, because of Winnie. He needed a love that his family couldn't give him.  
  
"If we knew what would happen, we would never have drunk from that spring!" Miles said out loud. He thought about himself now. If he had never drunk from that spring, he would be dead already, yes, but he would have had a long and happy life with his darling Anna and their two little angels. He wouldn't have lived to see all this incredible technology and get this job that he really liked, but he would have been happy. Much happier than he was now, in fact.  
  
But what was done was done. He would never get Anna, or his two children, back again. He would never see them again, and that was a fact that he had learnt to live with. Now he would focus on things that he COULD do something about, and that was to make sure that his brother wouldn't break the heart of that awfully stubborn housemate of his. And vice versa. 


	14. Figuring Out

It was late when Miles got back, and Jesse had already got back from work. Miles went straight to Jesse's room, where his brother was reading some book Miles had never heard of before.  
  
"Why didn't you do anything this morning, you twit?" Miles demanded.  
  
Jesse laughed bitterly, putting down his book. "And what do you think I could do? Go down on my knees and beg her? Or perhaps pull her in for a passionate kiss worthy of those trashy romance novels? Or maybe just marry her on the spot?"  
  
"I wasn't expecting you to do anything drastic, but I was expecting you to do SOMETHING. For goodness sake, Jesse, you didn't even say goodbye! Just went about as if nothing unusual was happening, just getting ready to work as if that was the most important thing in your life when the woman you love was getting ready to leave! Jesse, I thought you had more sense."  
  
Jesse interrupted Miles, obviously not want his brother to go on anymore. "And what makes you think she would want me to do anything? It's obvious that she can't wait to leave, so let me just grant her that wish! It's the least I could do anyway. And it's not like she tried to come talk to me, did she? That just shows how much she hates me, and not without reason, I must say. So maybe it would just be best to leave her alone, like she wants to!"  
  
Miles gaped at his brother for what seemed the longest time. He couldn't believe that someone could be so stubborn and so. thick! Truly thick. His skull was probably so thick that no sense could ever penetrate it. In fact, maybe Jesse wasn't immortal, and the only reason he wouldn't die if you shot him in the head would be because his skull was too thick for the bullet to get through.  
  
"Jesse. you are the biggest idiot I have ever seen," he said slowly, articulating every word carefully so that his little brother would have no way of not understanding. "Are you blind or something? Can't you see that Anaïs loves you? I mean, I understand that love is blind, but it can't be THAT blind, can it? Seriously, Jesse, you should think about this. Anaïs is probably on the plane now. She's not going to the North Island to have some big, fun, luxurious holiday. She's going back to Paris, spending the rest of her holidays at home, completely alone. Think about it, does it mean anything to you? I hate to tell you this, but I think you just lost the greatest thing you'll ever have." Miles sighed, and walked out of Jesse's room, leaving his brother staring after him.  
  
***  
  
Jesse stood staring at the door after Miles went out. Ana hadn't gone to the North Island? Why had she chosen to go back to Paris instead? Was what Miles said really true? If that was the case, it meant that Ana DID love him, probably as much as he did her. But why was she so indifferent to him this morning? What was going on?  
  
He sat down at his desk, thinking. What had gone so wrong, that things would come to this? Why is it that things just never seemed to get any better? At first he had thought that his problems were solved, when he realised that he really did love Ana. This morning he had wanted to confess it all to her, but had changed his mind when he saw how indifferent she was to him, how it seemed like she didn't care at all.  
  
He put his forehead on the desktop, feeling the coolness of the wood. He felt like he was getting a fever, but of course that was impossible. He felt like he was going crazy. Was that possible? Everything just seemed to get worse. Things had just totally snowballed, starting from that kiss. He wondered, if he had never kissed Ana, would any of these things happened?  
  
He sat up, and on an impulse, took out some paper and a pen.  
  
WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE IF I NEVER KISS ANA I wouldn't be so confused. I would still think that Winnie betrayed me. I wouldn't know that Miles was so caring. I wouldn't realise that I was in love with Ana. Ana wouldn't have left. She wouldn't be confused. She wouldn't be confusing me. Everything would have been much simpler. I wouldn't know that I love Ana so much. I wouldn't believe that Ana could mean so much to me. I LOVE YOU ANA.  
  
He threw the pen down on the desk in frustration, not caring to pick it up when it bounced off the desktop and onto the floor. He stood up so quickly that his chair flipped over, and then plopped down on his bed.  
  
***  
  
"Miles?"  
  
Miles turned to see his father sitting next to the fireplace. "Yes, Dad?"  
  
"Come here, Miles. I want to talk to you."  
  
Miles started to think back, trying to remember anything that could have happened that would warrant such a rare, important occasion. He supposed that it would be about Jesse. He went to sit before his father. "Yes, what is it?" he asked.  
  
"It's about Jesse. Something's happened to him again. I just know it. Before you came he was always moping around as he had been since he lost Winnie. Then he was back to normal again, that cheeky fellow, and then suddenly he's in a worse situation than before you came from France. Something's happened to him, and I know you know what it is. I don't want to ask him, I'll never get an answer. So, I was hoping you'd tell me."  
  
Miles nodded. Maybe it would be a good idea to talk it over with his father. His father would probably figure out what to do about this. "It's Anaïs. Ana."  
  
His father smiled. "Son, it's all right if you don't want to call her Ana. I understand."  
  
Miles nodded again, this time in relief. Only his father would understand why he had never wanted to call Anaïs Ana. "All right. Anaïs. I'm sure you've noticed that she gets along very well with Jesse."  
  
Tuck laughed softly. "So our boy has fallen in love again at last. He's faster on the rebound that you, Miles."  
  
"He hasn't lost what I have."  
  
"True, very true. And does Anaïs feel the same way about him?"  
  
"Yes, I'm very sure of it. She tries to pretend, but I can see it. She didn't want to leave here, not at all. She stayed in the car for the longest time today at the airport, and I could just see it in her. She didn't want to leave at all, but she felt like she had to. And Jesse. Jesse. that idiot, did nothing to stop her. He believes that she hates him!"  
  
"Well, we always make mistakes. Sometimes we can undo the trouble, sometimes we can't. It all depends on how far you're willing to go and what you're willing to do. That's something we can't force Jesse to do. You can't talk him through everything and you can't tell him what to do. There are things that he has to figure out for himself. And it's the figuring out part that is truly important." 


	15. I Let Her Go

TO SIRIAS: Thanks for the review! I haven't read any of your stories but I'm sure they're really good too!  
  
TO FADING-X-ROSE: My biggest fan lol. ( Thanks for always reading my story! This chapter is for you!  
  
Jesse did nothing the next morning, which really frustrated Miles. He wanted to give his little brother a huge piece of his mind, but remembered his father's advice, and left Jesse alone. Jesse would come reach a decision sometime; this was something he had to do on his own. Miles just hoped that he would do something soon before everything was too late.  
  
If anyone had thought that Jesse was quiet and withdrawn before, it was much worse now. Mae was beginning to get worried again. What had happened to her boy? He had been so happy and animated for five days, and suddenly he was walking around looking like his whole family had died (which was of course ridiculous).  
  
When Jesse went to work, she turned to look at her husband and her older son. "Now, can someone explain to me exactly what is happening with Jesse?" she demanded.  
  
Father and son explained the whole situation to Mae, slowly and clearly. When they were done Mae sat in silence for a moment, then sighed. "Well, Tuck, I guess my wish came true. I wanted Jesse to fall in love again, and he did. But it seems to have made things worse." Instinctively she reached into her apron pocket and drew out the little music box. The three of them sat together at the kitchen table, listening to the soothing melody coming from that little box that held all their dreams and memories, every single story stored in its tinkling tune.  
  
***  
  
Jesse sat behind the counter at the bookstore, bored out of his mind. Business was slow today. He wondered why he was even bothering anyway. At this rate, the chances of anyone coming in were really slim.  
  
His colleague, Sandra, passed him a Styrofoam cup of coffee as she came into the store. "Sorry for taking such a long time, I bumped into a friend at the café. Anyway, I thought you would want a coffee; you look like hell."  
  
Jesse laughed bitterly. "Yeah, thanks a lot."  
  
"I'm telling the truth!" Sandra protested, pulling a stool over to sit next to him. "You really don't look too good. Is anything wrong?"  
  
Jesse looked out of the shop window. Was anything NOT wrong? Ana was gone, Miles thought he was an idiot, he was making his parents worry again. So many things, and it seemed like things were getting worse and worse. He had spent last night lying awake, thinking about what to do, but there had been no answers. How could he get Ana back? Would she even forgive him for letting her go in the first place? Would it be a good idea to get her back? She didn't know the secret of the Tuck family. She would probably just freak out if she knew. Even if she did accept that, would she be happy living in New Zealand with him? The countryside would probably be refreshing to her for awhile, but then she would get bored. And she would have to leave her job, leave everything behind. It would be like forcing her to waste her life just to fill a little part of his. It would be too selfish. What could he do?  
  
"Jesse? Are you okay?" Sandra put a hand on his arm. He jumped, having forgotten for a moment where he was. "Are you all right?" Sandra asked again. "I haven't seen you behave like this before."  
  
"I'm fine," Jesse said hastily.  
  
"No, you're not fine. You're acting really strange today, Jesse. Do you want to talk about it?"  
  
He turned to look at Sandra, and he REALLY looked at her. She stared back at him, waiting for him to talk about whatever was troubling him. She didn't know anything about Ana. Did he trust her enough to tell her? He thought hard about that. He didn't have many friends in New Zealand, but if he had to pick one, he would say that Sandra was his best friend. They didn't often go out together, because Sandra had a boyfriend, but occasionally they would go watch a movie and walk around, and of course they were always together during work. He had been there with the Kleenex the day when Sandra had had a huge quarrel with her boyfriend, and she was crying during work. She had told him all about her relationship troubles, trusting him enough to tell him everything. There was once when his car broke down and he couldn't drive to town from home, and Sandra had helped cover for him without a moment's hesitation. When he had bad dreams about Winnie, she was always there to listen. She didn't know the full truth about Winnie of course (she just knew that Winnie was an old girlfriend of Jesse's who had died, and he was having trouble getting over the loss), but that was besides the point. The point was that she had always been there for him whenever he needed her. Yes, so he could trust Sandra.  
  
"It's about this girl." he began, then took a sip from his coffee. "She's not Winnie," he said hurriedly, in case Sandra thought that it was one of those dreams again. "She's not Winnie," he said again under his breath. Yes, Ana was truly special.  
  
"Oh. what's her name?"  
  
"Her name is Ana. Anaïs. She's Miles' colleague, from France. She came to New Zealand, and she stayed with us." Jesse stopped, not really knowing how to continue.  
  
He didn't have to worry. Sandra nodded. "You fell for her, didn't you?"  
  
Jesse felt a lump forming in his throat, and took another sip from his coffee, trying to get rid of it. "And then I let her go. I thought that I was betraying Winnie. So I pulled away, left Ana hanging, wondering what she had, wondering what had gone wrong."  
  
"Is Ana still staying with your family?"  
  
Jesse shook his head sadly. "No, she isn't. She went back to France yesterday. She told us she was going to the North Island for her holiday, but Miles found out that she was going back to France. She won't be coming back again." He looked down into his Styrofoam cup. "I've let her go without telling her that I love her," he said softly. He looked at Sandra. "And now she's gone." 


	16. Shock

Ana groaned when the alarm clock rang. She reached over and switched it off, then buried her head in her pillow. She wasn't sleepy at all, actually, even though she had barely slept at night. And the problem wasn't just jet lag.  
  
She had spent the flight home trying to convince herself that she wasn't making a mistake. Sadly, she hadn't been very convincing, and had spent her first day home moping around the house, denying that she was moping while she was at it. Needless to say, Ana was in a very bad mood indeed.  
  
After awhile she began to feel stifled by her pillow. She considered just staying there until she suffocated, then remembered that it was ridiculous, and so she sat up reluctantly. She leaned against the wall, staring at nothing. Her heart was still in New Zealand, and she didn't know if she'd ever get it back again. And ever was a long time.  
  
Feeling restless, she got out of her bed and left her room. She had been hanging around her room for too long, and the air in there was starting to make her feel sick. She stood outside her room, wondering what she could possibly do now. Miles' room was opposite, and although the door was closed, she knew that it wasn't locked. Miles never locked his room.  
  
She hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and turned the knob. It wasn't her first time in Miles' room, but it was the first time she had entered without his permission. It felt a little strange at first, but she felt better when she stood in the room. Miles had been living in here even before she moved into the next room, and his room had been neatly furnished in a nice, quaint way, much like the house in New Zealand. Standing in his room was almost like being back in New Zealand, a feeling that pained her, but felt good at the same time.  
  
A photograph was stuck to Miles' desk, something Ana had never noticed before. She sat down on his chair and picked up the photo. It was of Miles and Jesse, arms around each other's shoulders. It was obvious that there was great love between the brothers, and they were best friends, there for each other no matter what. Both were grinning into the camera, something rare for Miles.  
  
Tears stung Ana's eyes. They looked so happy. Especially Jesse. But that was just like him, wasn't it? When she was there, he had always been happy. In just those few days he had lit up her life like no one had before. He had made her forget her loneliness, made her forget all her troubles.  
  
"It would never have worked out, Ana. You know that it wouldn't work," she said aloud, chiding herself. Then she began to cry, because she knew that Jesse was special, and if she had just allowed herself to be with him, they would find a way to make things to work. They could have been beautiful together, but she had let him go. She had left him behind without looking back, and now she would never see him again.  
  
The tears were running down her cheeks freely now, blurring her vision. She looked around hastily for a box of tissues but there weren't any on Miles' table. In an impulsive moment she yanked open his drawer, pulling so hard that the whole drawer came out, and its contents were emptied on the floor. There was a box of tissues in the drawer, and Ana pulled out a tissue gratefully, trying to dry her eyes. She began to put Miles' things back into his drawer, but stopped when her hands brushed a book that lay on the floor. It had opened when it came flying out of the drawer, and now lay open as if Ana was meant to read it. Curious, she picked it up.  
  
"It's one of those days again. One of those days where I wish that we had never gone near that cursed spring. If only we had known! If I had known, I would not have even washed my feet in that spring. Those innocent drinks we had, so many years ago, but we're still suffering for it now. I hate this immortality! I wish I could just pick up a knife and stab myself, and feel the pain, see the blood, instead of feeling nothing, just to have the knife pass through me. I wish I was mortal."  
  
Ana dropped the book, realising at last that it was Miles' diary. She stared at the book, stunned by what she had just read. Then she put her head in her hands and cried harder than before, rocking herself as she sobbed out those endless tears. 


	17. Helpers

"Come on, Jesse!"  
  
Jesse groaned as Sandra tugged his arm, and tried to drag him towards the cinema. "Sandra, I really don't feel like watching a movie." he began to say.  
  
"Nonsense! You need a day of fun. And I'm an expert when it comes to fun. Today you are going to forget all your troubles. ALL your troubles. Then tomorrow you will spend your day packing." Sandra turned to grin at him, looking proud of herself.  
  
"Packing? PACKING? Packing for where?" Jesse was completely stupefied. Maybe Sandra had finally gone crazy. Maybe she had broken up with her boyfriend and was mentally unstable because she couldn't take the grief. Or maybe she was just delirious with a high fever. He raised his hand, planning to check her temperature, but she grabbed him hand.  
  
"You are going to spend tomorrow packing, because you are going to Paris," she told him patiently. "I've spoken to Miles, and he was delighted to book a ticket for you to go to Paris. You leave the day after tomorrow."  
  
"Paris? Me? The day after tomorrow? And you. YOU TALKED TO MILES???!!!" If Jesse had been shocked just now, he was very, very close to dying of a heart attack now. In fact, if he wasn't an immortal, he would have probably already been dead.  
  
Sandra stood calmly in front of him, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he could just leap forward and strangle her. "Why can't I talk to Miles? It's not like I don't know him. And he was just too happy to help. Said that you can't seem to make up your own mind." She stared at him. "We've got you the ticket; it's your decision if you want to go or not."  
  
Jesse looked away, thinking. Sandra was right; going to Paris would be the right thing to do. Ana might not accept him, but at least he would have tried. At least he would have done something. At least he wouldn't have to spend eternity wondering what would happen.  
  
He turned back to Sandra, and then gave her a smile. Pulling her to him for a hug, he kissed her hair. "Thanks, Sandra. You're a real friend, you know," he whispered.  
  
Sandra pushed him away. "Get off, you big softie!" she told him, laughing. "Seriously, if any of my boyfriend's friends saw us."  
  
"Oh yeah. Sorry." Jesse ran a hand through his hair, sheepish.  
  
Sandra waved his apology away. "Whatever. Come on, we're going to be late for the movie!" She tugged on his jacket again. Suddenly feeling much better about things, Jesse grinned and followed her willingly.  
  
***  
  
Miles sat in his room, grinning to himself. Tuck had said to let Jesse figure it out for himself, but that would have taken far too long. He was glad that Sandra had decided to call and help him "save" his little brother's life. Sandra was a good girl.  
  
Soon Jesse would be on the way to Paris, to see Ana, and get her back. Miles had no doubt that she would accept him. It was so obvious how much she loved him. Miles laughed despite himself, and leaned back in his chair. "Ah. if only I had remembered to bring my diary, this would be a fantastic story to write down," he thought to himself.  
  
***  
  
That night, Sandra got home in high spirits. She had had a lot of fun with Jesse. She loved going out with her boyfriend Damien, of course, but going out with Jesse was a lot more relaxed, probably because there were no strings attached. They were just friends, and there was nothing they had to prove to each other. With Damien she had always felt a slight urge to do all she could to impress him.  
  
She chuckled to herself, thinking about Jesse. He was an odd fellow. So in love with Ana, yet not knowing what to do. Obviously he didn't have much experience with girls. She shook her head. Of course he didn't have experience with girls; he had spent so many years dwelling on the memory of Winnie. It was sweet that he was so faithful, but Sandra was glad that he had finally moved on. This Ana sounded like the right person for him. They would be happy.  
  
She laughed again. "Well, I just hope that he'll remember me at their wedding!"  
  
***  
  
Jesse lay in his bed, unable to sleep once again. But this time it wasn't grief that had snatched him from the peaceful shores of slumber, but excitement, anticipation and anxiety. Finally he knew exactly what to do. He would go to Paris, go to Miles' house, find Ana, and tell her everything. He would confess everything to her. He would even tell her about the immortality of the Tucks. He would explain everything about Winnie to her, just like he had promised. She deserved to know everything. She needed to know everything, and so he would tell her.  
  
But what if she didn't want to be with him? What if she turned him away? He had been so cold to her the day she left. What if she wouldn't forgive him for that? What if she was horrified about the family secret? Nothing was certain, was it?  
  
He didn't worry, though, because deep in his heart he already knew the truth. With that, he closed his eyes, his mind finally at rest. He was asleep in a few minutes. 


	18. Pretty Little Head?

"Now, here's the address of the apartment. Ana should be there, I don't think she's going to go backpacking around France anytime soon." Miles handed a slip of paper to Jesse, who nodded and kept it carefully in his jacket pocket. "You can stay in my room while you're in France, but please don't trash it."  
  
Jesse laughed. "Come on, Miles, you know I don't trash rooms. I won't destroy your room, don't worry." Miles grinned and gave his brother a slap on the back. "OW, MILES! OW!"  
  
Sandra laughed, watching the two brothers. There was some mystery revolving round the two, she knew, but it wasn't important what it was, and she didn't want to know about that mystery either. It was just enough to see the two of them together. For that moment, Sandra wished that she had a brother just like Miles to take care of her.  
  
Jesse came towards her, and gave her a big hug. "Thanks again, Sandra. You didn't have to come and send me off, you know," he said.  
  
"Someone's got to slap you silly in case you change your mind," she teased.  
  
"You shouldn't have worried about that, I would have gladly done the slapping if he decided to just go home," Miles said, walking over and standing next to Sandra.  
  
Jesse grinned at the two standing before him, his eyes glinting mischievously. He stepped back and looked at them as if he was an artist examining his masterpiece. "You know," he said. "You two make a good couple. I could so totally imagine the both of you married, and bullying me."  
  
"JESSE!" Sandra exclaimed, scandalised by his remark. Miles stood slightly behind her dumbly, his face red as a tomato.  
  
Jesse just gave them another huge grin, and walked off. When he looked back, the two were leaving the airport together.  
  
***  
  
"Do you think he's going to be all right in Paris?" Sandra asked Miles as she got into the Tuck family's car. Miles had offered to drive her home.  
  
"Of course he'll be all right. He can speak French. At least, I hope he can still remember how to speak French. He won't get kidnapped or get in a fight or die or anything, so don't you worry."  
  
"You know that's not what I mean." Sandra met Miles' gaze steadily when he turned slightly to look at her, keeping one eye on the road. She was really worried about Jesse. She could just see how important this was to him.  
  
Miles smiled and turned back to fully concentrate on his driving. "You haven't seen Anaïs, that's why you are so worried. If you've seen her, you'd know that there's only one way things will turn out. Now don't you worry your pretty little head."  
  
Sandra nodded and looked out the window, slightly confused. Pretty little head? 


	19. Goodbye

"Ah, Paris! Finally." Jesse stood outside the Charles de Gaulle airport, remembering how different Paris had be the last time he had been there. A cool breeze brushed his face, and he was reminded how much he loved Europe. It had been too long since he had been in France.  
  
He looked at the address Miles had given him, and then stuffed it in his pocket. He got into a taxi, but it was not go to Ana's apartment. No, not yet.  
  
***  
  
Jesse put down his bag at his feet, and stood silently at the top of the Eiffel Tower, looking down at Paris. The Eiffel Tower brought so many memories flooding back to him. He had promised Winnie that they would see this together, so many years ago. And here he was now.  
  
"Well, Winnie, I'm here," he said softly. It wasn't crowded, not at all, but he still didn't want to attract any attention. "I promised you that I would bring you here, to see the Eiffel Tower. So here I am, and you're here too, aren't you? I can feel you here, here with me. I'm sorry I thought that you had betrayed me, I'm sorry that I thought so little of you. I should have had more faith in you. But I see now. I see that you loved me all along. It's just that somewhere in time you fell in love again, like what I have done now. I love you, Winnie, but I'm in love with Ana. There isn't really any need to say all this, because you already know, don't you? But I just wanted to say it, just in case. I know you're watching me, wherever you are, and I just wanted to thank you for your love all those years ago. I said we'd climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower together, and now we have."  
  
The same breeze that Jesse had felt at the airport swept past his face again, brushing it ever so gently. Jesse smiled to himself. He picked up his bag slowly, and turned, getting ready to walk all the way down again. He stopped at the staircase and turned. "Goodbye, Winnie. And thank you."  
  
AN: I know this is a very short chapter but I didn't want to spoil the beautiful moment with other things. 


	20. Pastry

The doorbell rang, and Ana groaned. She rolled over in her bed, hoping that whoever was there would just go away. Maybe it was a door-to-door salesman. Were there even such people in France? She didn't know; no one had even come knocking at HER door before. Anyway, whoever it was, they must have got the wrong house. No one ever came to look for her. Ever.  
  
But the stupid ringing would not go away.  
  
Ana sighed. Great. This was just great. She was all alone, she had read someone's journal when she wasn't even supposed to be in his room, she was upset, she was tired, she was frustrated, she had just made the biggest mistake of her life, and now there was some weirdo at her door. What could be worse?  
  
"Well, I guess I've got to see what that idiot wants," she muttered to herself, and crawled out of her bed. She dragged herself to the door, prepared to tell whoever it was in the most vulgar French she knew to bugger off. She flung open the door, and saw. Jesse?  
  
***  
  
Jesse stood in front of Ana, suddenly struck dumb. Miles had given him the keys to the apartment as well, and he would have opened the door, but he was holding too many things: his bag, his backpack, and a box of pastries, and the keys were somewhere in his numerous jacket pockets.  
  
Ana looked awful. Her hair was all over the place, and her eyes were red- rimmed and her clothes extremely wrinkled. But despite that, Jesse still thought her beautiful. "Jesse?" she finally said.  
  
Jesse felt compelled to say something, but everything he had planned to tell Ana had flown out of his mind. "I'm sorry if I was disturbing you. I would have opened the door but I can't find the keys, they're somewhere in these blasted pockets and I'm holding too many things and I didn't want to put the pastries on the floor and this is a nice place to live in and oh dear I think I'm going to drop my bag soon and I love you."  
  
Ana stared at him, wide-eyed. Jesse felt his face heat up. This wasn't going the way he had planned. Not the way he had planned at all. Oh dear. She was going to think that he was such a freak now. "I've just messed up again, haven't I?" he asked feebly.  
  
As he cursed himself for being such an idiot, Ana began to laugh.  
  
***  
  
Ana took the box of pastries from Jesse and put it on the shoe cupboard next to the door. Then she flung herself into his arms. Jesse dropped his bags, and a smile spread across Ana's face as he wrapped his arms around her. Jesse loved her after all, and maybe things would be all right now.  
  
***  
  
Miles sat in his room, reading. Mae and Tuck were probably already asleep, and he was enjoying this silence. He grinned to himself, thinking of Jesse. The boy was definitely already in Paris, and probably already cuddling with Ana.  
  
He jumped when the phone rang, then dove for it. He didn't want to wake Mae and Tuck up. "Hello?"  
  
"Hey. That's Miles, isn't it? It's me, Sandra."  
  
"Oh, hi." Miles was a little puzzled. Why would she call him? Especially at 12:30 am. She couldn't still be worrying about Jesse, was she? He smiled to himself. Maybe the girl had a crush on his brother. "How can I help you?"  
  
"I didn't wake you up or anything, did I? I'm really sorry for calling at such a time. If you don't want to talk, that's fine, I can just."  
  
"No, no it's fine I can talk. You didn't wake me up, I just sitting around doing nothing anyway," Miles lied. Somehow he just didn't want her to hang up. It would be nice to have a long telephone conversation with someone, something he had never really done before.  
  
"Oh. All right then. I was just wondering. I don't want to ruin your holiday or anything. but with Jesse in Paris. you don't really have to do this if you don't want to, but. I was just wondering if you wouldn't mind come helping out at the bookstore. There's a new stock coming in tomorrow, or rather today, and I totally forgot about it. I was wondering if you wouldn't mind come help me shelving it. It's quite boring, actually, so you don't have to do it if you don't want to. I understand it's your holiday and all."  
  
Miles laughed. "Sure, I'd love to help. I've still got quite a lot of my holiday left, after all. It'd be good to do some work or I'd just stay home and get fat."  
  
"I don't think it's possible for you to get fat."  
  
"Oh yes it is. I can get really lazy and."  
  
The conversation went on, both sides laughing and enjoying themselves.  
  
***  
  
Jesse and Ana sat on the couch, his arm around her. Jesse sat staring into space, a little jet-lagged, which Ana ate a lemon meringue happily. She sighed. "I'm so glad you came to Paris, Jesse." She took another bite of the lemon meringue. "And it was sweet of you to buy pastry for me." She smiled and gave him a kiss on his cheek.  
  
Jesse kissed her hair. "You know, I didn't buy the pastry for you." 


	21. Things To Be Said

"Oh, let me get that for you." Miles went over and lifted the box of books that had just been delivered, and grunted. Boy, they were heavier than he had expected. He wondered how Sandra had been intending to do all this by herself.  
  
Sandra stood by the shelves, getting ready to shelf all the books. She didn't really like taking stock, and usually tried to do it as fast as possible so she could get it over with. Jesse hated it too, and so they'd try to work like lightning. That usually didn't go too well, and they'd end up having to do it all over again. Miles wasn't as hasty as the two of them, though, and she found that he even made it quite enjoyable. His steadiness made the work systematic and she found herself finishing what she needed to do faster than ever. "Thanks for helping. You don't know how much I appreciate it."  
  
"No problem. I'm enjoying myself, actually." Miles put down the box with a thump, and they began to open it.  
  
"Liar." Sandra grinned at Miles. He didn't look tired, but she couldn't believe that he would be ENJOYING himself, doing this work.  
  
Miles laughed and sat down on the floor. "Yes, you're right. I was lying. This work is backbreaking! Suddenly I have a lot more respect for Jesse."  
  
"We don't get new stock everyday. Usually Jesse and I just sit around drinking orange juice or coffee and getting up to attend to customers occasionally. It's pretty easygoing and enjoyable, except for this stocktaking thing."  
  
They spent the next five minutes in silence, just shelving the books. Miles did everything carefully. With all the carrying over, he was beginning to enjoy himself. It was nice doing some quiet job, boring though it might be. Being a photographer for the newspapers wasn't easy. It required quite a lot of chasing around and shoving and pushing. So now it was nice to do a job slowly and steadily, with enough space to breathe. And he liked working with Sandra.  
  
***  
  
"Where's Miles?" Tuck asked.  
  
"Oh, he's gone to town. I think he's taking over Jesse's job for today. That nice girl, Sandra, she offered to cover for Jesse while he's gone but there's some new stock coming today so Miles went to help," Mae replied cheerfully. Miles had seemed to be in good spirits this morning. He looked a little tired, perhaps, but he was in a very good mood. And that made her very happy too.  
  
"That's nice of him. It's really good to have him back." Tuck settled down on the couch, turning on the TV. He didn't watch much, but he would watch the news everyday.  
  
"Yes, it is. I think things are coming round right for our boys again. Even Miles. He seemed really happy about today. Said not to expect him home to early, that he might drive Sandra home after work, and have dinner before coming back." Mae dried her hands and went to sit next to her husband. "I haven't seen him so nice and generous to a girl for such a long time. It was love that hurt our boys; maybe it's love that will heal them again."  
  
"They will never fully heal from the first blow, Mae. Maybe things will seem a little better to them at the beginning, but you know that for them, the love cannot last for very long. Soon the girls will find out the truth, and things will just go full circle. We'll never know. They might get hurt again."  
  
Mae looked straight at her husband. He was frowning, and although his eyes were on the television screen, she knew that he wasn't really watching. For the first time, he had betrayed his worry for his sons. Her heart went out to him. Usually he seemed to be indifferent to matters, but no one really knew what they were doing to him on the inside. He was just such the quiet gentleman.  
  
She put an arm around her husband's shoulders. "They'll be all right. They might get hurt, but our sons are strong. They'll be all right. And maybe this time they won't get hurt again."  
  
***  
  
Jesse sat in the kitchen, eating the last lemon meringue. He grinned to himself. To buy pastries as a peace offering had never crossed his mind. He had just walked past this really nice bakery and felt hungry, that was all. Ana had been mortified when he confessed that he hadn't bought the food for her, probably because she had already eaten the lemon meringue AND the doughnut before that, but after awhile she began to laugh again, and then he began to laugh, and they just sat there smiling at each other. Yes, life was good like this. He didn't mind having things like this every single day.  
  
He frowned suddenly, remembering that there were still things to be said. He had to tell Ana that secret, and make her swear never to tell anyone.  
  
There were still things to say to her.  
  
***  
  
Ana stood by the washing machine, smiling to herself. She was so happy. Everything seemed to be perfect now. Jesse was here with her, and he loved her, and nothing else mattered. She wasn't alone anymore. He would be right by her side through everything. Everything was perfect.  
  
Then she frowned suddenly, remembering that there was something she had to tell him.  
  
There were still things to say to him. 


	22. That Cursed Spring

Sandra locked the door of the bookstore and turned to face Miles. "Well, we're done! Thanks for all your help," she said.  
  
"No problem. It's a nice job, I wouldn't mind doing it again. Maybe I'll drop in tomorrow," he said. "Hey. do you want to go for dinner? My treat."  
  
Sandra gave him a smile, but she shook her head. "That's really sweet of you, but I'm meeting my boyfriend Damien for dinner later. So I'll be going home now to get ready." As she said that, she felt a slight pang of regret. Dinner with Miles would have been nice. She gave him a little wave and turned to go. She wanted to be early for Damien.  
  
"Wait!" Miles called. Sandra turned, wondering what it was that he wanted to ask. He looked down, running a hand through his hair. "Erm. I'll send you home. Then you'll have more time to get ready," he said.  
  
Sandra beamed at him. "That would be nice. Thank you."  
  
***  
  
Miles drove home after sending Sandra. He didn't really feel like eating anymore. He didn't know that Sandra had a boyfriend, and now he didn't know why he was so affected by the fact that Sandra had a boyfriend. It wasn't like he was going to ask her out or anything.  
  
"But you were asking her out to dinner." a little voice said in his head.  
  
"Shut up," Miles said loudly. He sighed. "Great, now I'm going insane. It must be Jesse. Jesse and his incredibly dramatic love life are driving me nuts. I'm never going to help anyone again when it comes to romance."  
  
But that still didn't answer the question on why he was so disappointed that Sandra had a boyfriend.  
  
***  
  
Jesse sat around Miles' room, wondering how he could possibly tell Ana this very important secret. Keeping it from her was definitely out of the question. "How did I tell Winnie the last time?" he wondered to himself. Then he remembered that he hadn't told Winnie, Miles had. "Bloody great," he muttered. Ana was just going to freak and he would find himself standing outside with his bags, stranded in Paris without a place to stay. And he would probably lose Miles his room as well. Great. Just great.  
  
He got up and paced around. He had to tell Ana, and he had to tell her soon. He couldn't possibly call home and ask Miles to explain it all for him. Firstly, Miles would kill him if he did that. Secondly. Miles would kill him if he did that. So calling home was totally out of the question.  
  
"Ah I'll figure it out when we're talking," he muttered to himself. Opening the door, he went out in search for Ana.  
  
He found her sitting in front of the TV, watching this strange French TV series that he had tried to watch but just couldn't understand. Maybe it had something to do with him not watching the front part of the series, because Ana did and she found the show hilarious. She automatically put her head on his shoulder when he sat down next to her. Jesse couldn't help smiling. He loved Ana so much that it was crazy.  
  
"Ana, there's something I have to tell you," he said carefully.  
  
Something in his tone must have registered with Ana, because she turned off the TV immediately and turned a little to face him. "What is it?" she asked.  
  
The words stuck in Jesse's throat. He had them, he was all ready to say it, but they stuck in his throat. He swallowed and tried again, but to no avail. Great. Ana was looking at him, frowning a little. Just great. He must really look like a goldfish. "I'm immortal," he finally blurted out, and then slapped a hand over his forehead. "Great. That was the least tactful way ever to put it. And the Idiot of the Year prize goes to Jesse Tuck."  
  
***  
  
Ana stared at Jesse, still cursing himself for messing up an important speech AGAIN. This was really happening. She couldn't believe it. She had been expecting it, of course, after reading Miles' diary. She wasn't shocked, or surprised. She had been waiting for the moment to come. Her heart pounded in her chest. Now it was her turn to tell him, but she couldn't find the words herself.  
  
***  
  
"You're not alone in this." There was the sound of a drawer opening, and closing again.  
  
Huh? Jesse looked at Ana, and almost leapt out of his skin. She was holding a knife over her wrist! Before he could grab the knife from her, she cut into her wrist. Deeply.  
  
Jesse gaped in horror, but before he had time to think about calling an ambulance or crying or calling home, Ana lifted the knife and he saw that her wrist was still whole. The knife had made no mark on it at all!  
  
He transferred his wide-eyed stare from Ana's wrist to her face. He must have looked like a real idiot, because Ana suddenly burst out laughing. "What made you think that you were the only ones to drink from that cursed spring?"  
  
***  
  
NOTE: Did I totally destroy the story? I've been thinking about this happening for quite a while and I thought it would be nice and original, what do you think? Please flame me if you think it necessary! 


End file.
